The basu! Guide to the Movies

RIP #WilfordBrimley Another one of my all-time favourite character actors, you know the kind, right?, as soon as you see their name in the credits you can't wait for them to show up and strut their stuff, making everything they're in just a little bit better. I suppose I "discovered" him, like most people, in Cocoon, or more precisely, all the clips I saw before actually watching that awesome, and terrifyingly now-age-appropriate wish-fulfillment fantasy. I'm guessing he wasn't given the chance too often to stretch beyond that curmudgeonly-grandpa-with-a-heart-of-gold typecast, but he never seemed to phone it in. And when was he given the chance…yeah man, he was awesome: The Firm(!), The Thing(!!(, The Natural, Hard Target(love that movie!), The China Syndrome, In & Out (inspired casting), Tender Mercies, Absence of Malice, that awesome timel-y/ess cameo on Seinfeld… etc. etc. etc. Heck , just thinking about him makes me want to watch these movie

RIP #AlanParker One of my favourite directors who perhaps never fully got the credit he deserved but whose filmography will stand the test of time…and whose passing, sadly, could probably mark the umpteenth end of an era of a certain kind of high-quality theatrical feature film. Honestly, the credit part, I was probably just as guilty as anyone else considering his name wasn't on the tip of my tongue whenever the subject of favourite director was brought up…even though so many, many, many of his movies were. I mean, my sister and I, we watched Bugsy Malone *all* the time, never realising what a pioneering satire it was…or that that was Jodie Foster, yes, *that* Jodie Foster. Fame and The Commitments, we probably heard that music on a loop before we finally watched those movies. And speaking of music, Evita…and Pink Floyd: The Wall (heard the first time when they famously, controversially, staged the, uh stage versionat School, what an eye-opening experience that was!). And

#FBF so how about a #Flashback Movie? 😁 #EuropaEuropa (1990) Stunning, challenging, unforgettable piece of cinema that truly earns its legendary reputation. The great Holland takes an usual approach, making a gentle, by turns furious, funny, sad, emotional, surreal, episodic action-adventure film, but she never, ever, loses sight of the elemental horror at the root of it all. The film keeps you off balance the whole time with its expert shifts in tone, supporting characters, locations…heck, *every*thing that by the end you end up having gone through an all-time emotional wringer. The direction is superb, as is the cinematography, music, production design. And the wonderful cast, the background characters that come and go, each having a hand in the main character's evolution as a human being, all leading up to that emotionally-shattering ending. And the kid at the center of it all, Hofschneider, my goodness, what a way to make a debut! He's in every scene, almost

#TheAssistant • Very thought-ful/provoking look at the all-too timel-y/ess hazard of working in the entertainment industry, and how invisibly exploited it makes the powerless.  • Unusual directing style by Green, low-key, deliberative, but with that all-too familiar feeling of dread hanging over the whole thing. • Very well played by the entire cast, from the obnoxious male assistants, to the dismissive execs, to the put-upon staff, the people walking in with stars in their eyes (un/very?)knowing about what’s about to unfold, to Sanders’s terrifying (and flashback-inducing😬) voice performance, Macfayden’s…well, you realise then just how easy it is for these things to happen and what powerlessness truly feels like(😬).  • But, my goodness, Garner, she makes the entire thing worthwhile. Her tightly coiled, watchful, reacti-ve/onary performance deserves *all* the #SpiritAwards. She’s just so great in *every*thing she does, no? --- #KittyGreen #JuliaGarner #MatthewMacfayden #JayOSanders #

This is my personal email. The views expressed here are mine alone, and not those of my employer. Teambuilding II: Or The Story of My Life I was recently involved in something called a Vertical Offsite . Now, since we were actually at my company’s headquarters for this event, I guess technically it was an on site. As for the Vertical, well, you’re guess is as good as mine. In any case, the essential part of any self-respecting corporate retreat is the all-important teambuilding event. Something that brings us all together and teaches us, once and for all, the supreme importance of functioning as one unit. So naturally this year they chose go-karting . After all there’s nothing like intense individual competition where it’s in everyone’s best interests to bump each other, push each other, crash into each other, sneak by during a caution, and get to the finish line before anyone else to drive the concept of self-sacrificing-for-the-greater-good collaboration h

This is my personal email. The views expressed here are mine alone, and not those of my employer. I Love/Hate the Fuzz I was talking to my colleague Matt Matyas on the way to In-N-Out the other day and he told me that he had never, never , been pulled over by the cops. I then proceeded to tell my young colleague about the numerous times I had had the misfortune of being at the receiving end of the long arm of the law. I Love the Fuzz Back when I lived in Orange County, I pretty much kept to myself. Now whether that was due to me trying to plumb the shallow depths of my soul in isolation or to the fact that I did not have any friends in the area is open to debate; but needless to say, my weekends were spent window shopping at South Coast Plaza. Every thing changed when I got Santino (my Salsa Red 2005 Prius) and I proceeded to hightail it to Los Angeles every chance I got. It was on one of those little jaunts that I made the mistake of hanging out wit